Bittersweet
by Romione4Life
Summary: Because of his close bond with his younger sister, George Weasley finds that Ginny's wedding day is happy, yet difficult to get through.


**This was written for round 5 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. My task was to write a story about George Weasley, and the optional prompts I used are shadow, ridiculous, and dialogue: "Who is she?"**

* * *

Many people thought that Ginny's favorite brother was Ron. Others claimed it was Bill or Charlie. But in reality, it was someone else: George.

George and Ginny's special connection began on the day that Ginny was born. When the infant Ginny started crying, no one could get her to stop – that is, until she was handed to George. Young George held his baby sister gently, and almost instantly her wails ceased. She stared up at her older brother with a smile on her face.

From the moment she could walk, Ginny followed George like a shadow. For the first few years of her life, whenever George got into mischief with his twin, Fred, she was there, giggling at their antics. Sometimes she even had a hand in their pranks.

But despite George's frequent mischief-making, he was still an excellent brother to Ginny. When she accidentally broke the pot of Floo Powder, leaving a huge mess, George took the blame. When she got dragon pox, he comforted her instead of making fun of how ridiculous she looked like some of their other siblings. And when Ginny wanted to learn how to fly, who taught her how to break into the broom shed? George.

With their close bond, it was only natural that Ginny's wedding day would be bittersweet for George. He was happy she'd gotten with Harry, of course. And he'd joked around with her about it, asking teasingly if he could be her maid of honor. But on the inside, he couldn't believe how fast she'd grown up. So he went to the one place he could find solace: Fred's grave.

"I wish you could see her, Freddie," George murmured. "I peeked in on her doing her hair with Hermione and the other girls, and she was stunning. Hard to imagine, isn't it? But I'm telling you, our tomboyish Ginny looks like a princess today. Harry's lucky to have her."

A few tears slipped out and began to roll down George's cheeks. Then, George heard footsteps behind him. He hastily wiped away the tears and turned around to see Ginny walking up to him, dressed in her wedding gown.

"You're going to ruin your dress," he pointed out.

Ginny shrugged as she crouched down beside him. "I'll be careful. Besides, if it gets a little dirty, Hermione will be able to fix it up in a heartbeat." Her gaze shifted to Fred's tombstone, then back to George. "I figured I'd find you here."

"Yeah," George said. "I was telling Fred how beautiful you look. He'd be so proud of you if he was here."

"He's with us in spirit, just like Harry's parents," Ginny said softly. She put a hand on George's shoulder. "How are you? I – I noticed you were crying before I got here."

"I'm not going to lie. It's hard seeing you get married," George said. "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have chosen any other man for you. But I'm going to miss my little sister."

"Oh, now you're going to make me cry!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with tears. "I'm not saying goodbye forever. I'm still going to visit often. And Harry loves all of you, so he won't mind."

"I know," George said. "It's just that you were forced to grow up so fast. We all were, actually. So many kids and teenagers had to deal with things that no one should ever have to deal with. And I feel like they didn't get the childhood they deserve."

"George, listen. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had in my life for anything," Ginny said. "I've made friends and grown as a person while helping to create a world that is safe and happy for me and my loved ones, including my future children. I didn't like losing so many people in the process, obviously, but at least they died fighting for a cause they believe in."

George glanced at Ginny, astounded by her wisdom and strength. "You really are an amazing woman, you know that, Gin?" he said.

"It's because I had people like you," Ginny said, embracing George tightly. George quickly dried a fresh wave of tears and hugged her back.

"I'd better get back to the house. They'll be wondering where I am," Ginny continued once they'd separated. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," George said. He stood up and held out a hand to help Ginny get to her feet. She brushed off her dress, which amazingly had stayed exceptionally clean, and headed back to the house. George took one last look at Fred's grave and then followed her.

* * *

The wedding was taking place in a tent much like the one where Bill and Fleur's wedding had been held. Harry stood at the front of the tent next to Ron, his best man. Ginny's bridesmaids – Fleur, Hermione, and Luna – were nearby. George was beside his girlfriend, Angelina, and the rest of his family.

The bridal music began to play, and everyone's heads turned to watch Ginny, who was arm-in-arm with her father. A collective gasp went up among the wedding guests as the pair began to walk down the aisle. Like George, they were clearly stunned by Ginny's beauty; a few people even whispered "Who is she?" as she passed them.

The ceremony went smoothly. Harry and Ginny exchanged vows and rings while remaining completely enraptured with each other. At last, the words "You may kiss the bride!" were announced, and cheering broke out as Harry and Ginny shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

And though it was a happy moment for all in attendance, no one was beaming more or clapping louder than George.

* * *

Later at the reception, the guests talked and laughed as they danced to the upbeat music and drank firewhiskey and butterbeer. George waited until Ginny had had a chance to greet everyone before approaching her.

"May I have this dance, Mrs. Potter?" he asked, grinning and offering his hand to her as the music slowed.

"Certainly," Ginny replied, and the two siblings began to waltz around the tent. They were silent for a couple minutes until Ginny spoke again.

"I know today wasn't easy for you, but thank you for being so supportive. It means a lot to me."

"Well, you _are_ my favorite sister," George said with a wink.

Ginny laughed. "I don't have much competition."

"But in all seriousness, you talking to me earlier really helped me. It felt like I was losing you. Now I know that I'm not. And I know that everything we've gone through together these past several years has been worth it. I think I should be the one thanking you," George said.

"You're welcome," Ginny said.

George smiled as they continued to dance. He couldn't have asked for a better sister.


End file.
